Mitsubishi Triton Hybrid won’t employ Nissan or Renault tech

Mitsubishi says it won’t take hybrid technology from Alliance partners Nissan and Renault to speed up the introduction of a hybrid Triton to showrooms, saying it will rely in its own resources instead.

That’s despite Nissan, which has its e-Power hybrid powertrains, using the latest-generation Triton’s underpinnings for its new Navara that’s due in Australian showrooms next year.

Mitsubishi engineer Kaoru Sawase told CarExpert the automaker won’t share hybrid powertrains with Alliance partners Nissan and Renault despite what it sees as a “fast development” needed to add a hybrid Triton to its global lineup. 

“Quite honestly, we are thinking about developing this vehicle stand-alone,” Sawase-san said. “First, we want to develop this Mitsubishi Motors technology, and there is no impact of Nissan speeding up the process.”

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In 2016 Mitsubishi became part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which was created in 1999, with the three automakers sharing platforms and engines to reduce development costs and achieve economies of scale.

The arrangement has led, for example, to Mitsubishi rebadging the Renault Captur as the ASX, and its Outlander sharing its platform with the Nissan X-Trail.

“Although it’s an alliance, we have different companies and we have to add cost for the differentiation at the moment… as a result of considering the total cost we concluded that we will use our own technology,” said Sawase-san on a future Triton hybrid.

“Renault has its own hybrid technology, as does Nissan and Mitsubishi. Each brand has passions; different ways of it being used, different character, different aims and goals.

“So as far as these technologies, each company will hold that technology to head towards the aim and the goal they want to achieve.”